My Time, Our Time

He's off to another world today. At least it seems like it. We've been apart almost as much as we've been together, since we've been together. But when we're together, it's dedicated time. I used to smirk at the phrase, "quality time". Now I understand. Now I get it.

This weekend I called myself a Texan, a Houstonian. As I move away from being a Kansan, I wonder if I am leaving behind my whirlwind patterns. Am I allowing myself to finally relax? There is no longer the need to be a tornado, to spin through a room, picking up, organizing, fixing, checking.

I am four years away from my old life, five years out of my old shell, fifteen years free from my old walls. The thing is, I do not want to measure my life in years backward anymore. I am now breathing one breath in, one breath out. This day is mine. This moment is ours to seize and to spend with all the vigor and joy we can possibly manage. And with each breath, I smell the freshness of the days to come, the quality of my life, my time.

One day...one day I will again measure my life backward. Possibly from this day. Possibly from the day that I put down in words that the Kansas tornado is now simply breathing and living in Texas, one day at a time. I am living quality Texas time, appreciating the time that I spend alone, and with him.